We expect membership to be civil and courteous to each other both in person and in digital spaces when representing YIMBY. We ask that our members and those who organize with us direct strong feelings at problems and ideas, not individuals.

Debate around political ideology, practice, and strategy is encouraged in our spaces. Assume that all comments are made in good faith. Be respectful, use healthy forms of discourse, and be open to new ideas. We are all still growing; supporting ourselves in this means making room for disagreement, compromise, and mutual respect. We are all passionate about our causes and it is important that we recognize when our strong feelings make it hard to take others’ comments in good faith. In these moments, we expect people to walk away from the conversation and to be allowed to peacefully walk away.

Respect that people have differences of opinion and that every decision carries a trade-off and numerous costs. There is seldom a right answer, especially in political activism.

Ask for consent when using the images or words of others. Be respectful of their privacy. Understand that in general, the conversations we have within YIMBY spaces are held in confidence.

We are people and we all make mistakes. Practice calling in versus calling out others as a way to nurture our YIMBY spaces while we grow and learn from our mistakes to build a better, more inclusive movement. Respect that calling out is still a valid way to make people accountable and consider how individuals calling people out experience oppression.

As a political movement, we need cohesion of vision. While healthy debate is essential to progress, disruption and co-option of our work is counterproductive and harmful. The problem is so much bigger than us.

YIMBY Action is dedicated to providing a harassment-free experience for all of our members. We do not tolerate harassment of participants in any form. This code of conduct applies to all YIMBY Action spaces offline and on, including meetings, happy-hours and other events, Slack, and social media. Anyone who violates this code of conduct will be sanctioned by the moderation team.

Questioning or challenging someone’s stated self-identity or chosen labels, even if they conflict with your own views.

Deliberate use of misgendering pronouns, and/or the use of “dead” or rejected names.

Physical contact without consent.

Threats, acts, or incitement of violence towards any individual, including encouraging a person to commit suicide or to engage in self-harm.

Deliberate intimidation, stalking or following.

Sustained disruption of discussion.

Unwelcome sexual advances or attention.

Continued one-on-one communication after requests for it to cease.

Sharing or threatening to post other people’s personally identifying information (“outing” or “doxxing”).

Using the images or words of someone without their emphatic, affirmative consent or against their will, including screenshots of words in non-public places

Anything else that would reasonably constitute harassment

Reporting & Consequences

If you are being harassed by another member, notice that someone else is being harassed, or have any other concerns, please contact Jane Natoli (@wafoli) or Laura Foote (@laura) directly via DM.

If you would prefer to contact us via email and/or submit an anonymous report, you may also report Code of Conduct violations at: https://yimbyaction.org/feedback/

We respect confidentiality for the purpose of protecting victims of abuse. At our discretion, we may publicly name a person about whom we’ve received harassment complaints, or privately warn third parties about them, if we believe that doing so will increase the safety of our members or the general public. We will not name harassment victims without their affirmative consent.

We prioritize the safety of marginalized people over the comfort of the privileged and will not act on complaints regarding:

Consequences

Participants asked to stop any unacceptable behavior are expected to comply immediately. If a participant continues to engage in unacceptable behavior, the moderation team may take any action we deem appropriate, up to and including expulsion from all YIMBY Action spaces and identification of the participant as a harasser to our members.

Process

Warning: A warning will be issued to those involved. They will be directed to the applicable sections in the Code of Conduct related to their behavior, and be asked to immediately address such behavior.

Disengaging: If the warning is ignored, or problematic behavior continues, the individual will be asked to step away from YIMBY Action for some time. They will again be pointed to applicable sections of the Code of Conduct related to their behavior, and be asked to cease such behavior upon their return.

Exclusion: If disengagement has no effect, or the individual continues to violate the Code of Conduct, they will be subject to a ban and be excluded indefinitely from the membership.